About Style
By Ann Turner

Looking At Fashion
Right Now the Eyes Have It

Eyewear is a hot accessory in today’s fashion scene. In other eras, people looked upon eyewear as more of a medical necessity. However, the days when eyeglasses ere seen as a fashion disaster are gone for now.

Now, many frame designs are seen as stylish, colorful and bold.

Despite the existence of alternatives like contact lenses or laser vision correction, many people’s choice foe enhancing their vision today incorporates the fashionable look of eye wear. Now, glasses are touted as a fashion accessory.

Eyewear choices are becoming more diverse.

In fact, some people have three or more pairs simply to coordinate with outfits. Eye glasses are not only more fashionable but also more affordable, with prices ranging from $1 for “readers” at the dollar store, to $200 and up for fashionable line-free trifocals. Many frame design companies also make generic brands so consumers can get stylish looks for less.

Trends differ when it comes to men’s andwomen’s style. Overall, what’s really hot right now is color. Multi-colored frames are trendy. Popular hues include blues, greens, reds and pinks.

Some really kooky patterned frames of good quality are available as reading glasses in retail stores. These are great for people like me. My arms are tired from holding everything at arm’s length to be able to read.

As far as style goes, Women seem to want style on the front of the frame. Men choose styles with eyecatching details on the back of the frame – sort of akin to a jazzy lining in a coat.

For example, where a woman might choose a brightly colored frame, a man might select a thin black frame with a translucent hue on the backside that doesn’t really stand out as much.
Other trends in eyewear include bolder shapes, and frames made with hybrid materials, such as wire rims and “tortoise shell” plastic arm pieces.

Other trends in eyewear include bolder shapes, and frames made with hybrid materials, such as wire rims and “tortoise shell” plastic arm pieces.

Looking
At
Fashion

About The Author

I was born in New York, and grew up on the North shore of Long Island.. My first degree, from FIT, is in fashion design. I eventually earned another degree in art education and a third in fine arts, with minors in anthropology, art history, and psychology.

I’ve had the opportunity to travel extensively and have lived many places in the world; settling for about 10 years in a remote Catskill mountain cabin with no utilities or running water. I made sweaters, shawls, clothing, soap, and jewelry to barter for the “extras” we couldn’t afford, such as the midwife who delivered my children. When my youngest was a little over a year old, I took on full-time employment as a counselor in a psychiatric day-treatment program. I led a handcrafts group and provided supportive counseling to deinstitutionalized people.

Since 1997, I have worked as a therapeutic art teacher in a residential facility for court adjudicated boys. I never seem to teach the same project twice, though every year I do teach ceramics and some form of jewelry making – metal work, glass fusing, wirework, beading, copper enamel, and more. My boys (aged 12-18), really enjoy combining macramé and beading! I love teaching and working with these special guys, but in an attempt to make more money, occupy my mind productively, and enjoy more creative gratification, I began designing jewelry on my two-hour commute.

Soon I was spending time combing the internet for suppliers. When I had an inventory of only ten pieces, Backwoods Beadery was born. We sell from our Website and at craft fairs and home parties. My husband John is our Webmaster and takes care of the business end in addition to being a great bead designer. I do the buying, more of the design, and the new product end of things. We both contribute to the newsletter.

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